Guides
Plumbing glossary
The words plumbers use, explained in plain English, with links to the pages that go deeper.
A
- Anode rod
- A metal rod inside a tank water heater that corrodes in place of the tank. Replacing it can extend the tank's life. More about anode rod
B
- Backflow preventer
- A device that stops irrigation or other non-drinking water from flowing back into the drinking water supply. Many water providers require an annual test. More about backflow preventer
- Backwater valve
- A one-way valve on the main sewer line that stops sewage from the city main backing up into a home. More about backwater valve
C
- Cleanout
- A capped access point on a drain or sewer line used to clear clogs and run a sewer camera. More about cleanout
- CSST
- Corrugated stainless steel tubing, a flexible gas pipe that must be installed and bonded to the electrical system according to code. More about csst
- Curb stop
- A shutoff valve on the water service line near the property line, usually inside a small buried box, used to shut off water to the whole property. More about curb stop
8
- 811 (call before you dig)
- The national free call-before-you-dig number. Each state's 811 center (Colorado 811, Texas 811 and so on) marks buried gas, electric and communication lines before excavation. More about 811 (call before you dig)
P
- Plumbing license
- Permission to do plumbing work, issued by a state board or, in some states, by the city or county. In Colorado it's issued by the State Plumbing Board within DORA. Always verify a license before work starts. More about plumbing license
- PEX
- Cross-linked polyethylene tubing, a flexible water supply pipe used in most modern repipes. It tolerates freezing better than copper. More about pex
- Pipe bursting
- A trenchless method that pulls a new pipe through an old one while breaking the old pipe apart. More about pipe bursting
- Polybutylene
- A gray plastic supply pipe installed roughly from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s that can fail at fittings without warning. More about polybutylene
- Pressure reducing valve (PRV)
- A valve near the main shutoff that lowers incoming water pressure to protect pipes and fixtures. More about pressure reducing valve (prv)
- P-trap
- The curved section of drain pipe under a sink that holds water to block sewer gas from entering the home. More about p-trap
D
- Drip leg (sediment trap)
- A short capped pipe on a gas line just before an appliance that catches debris before it reaches the burner. More about drip leg (sediment trap)
E
- Expansion tank
- A small tank on the water heater's cold line that absorbs pressure as water heats in a closed system. More about expansion tank
- Expansive soil
- Clay soil, common in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and other states, that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, shifting slabs and stressing buried pipe. More about expansive soil
F
- Frost-free hose bib (sillcock)
- An outdoor faucet with its shutoff valve inside the heated wall so the stem can drain. It still splits if a hose is left attached in a freeze. More about frost-free hose bib (sillcock)
G
- Galvanized pipe
- Zinc-coated steel water pipe common before the 1960s that corrodes from the inside, reducing pressure and discoloring water. More about galvanized pipe
H
- Hydro jetting
- Cleaning a drain or sewer line with high-pressure water that scours grease, scale and fine roots from the pipe walls. More about hydro jetting
L
- Lateral (sewer service line)
- The private sewer pipe that carries waste from a house to the city main. In many cities homeowners own it all the way to the main. More about lateral (sewer service line)
O
- Orangeburg pipe
- A fiber-and-tar sewer pipe used roughly from the 1940s into the 1970s that deforms and collapses with age. More about orangeburg pipe
R
- Relief valve (T&P valve)
- A safety valve on a water heater that opens if temperature or pressure gets too high. It should never be capped. More about relief valve (t&p valve)
S
- Sewer camera inspection (sewer scope)
- A video inspection of the sewer line that shows roots, cracks, sags and offset joints. More about sewer camera inspection (sewer scope)
- Slab leak
- A leak in a water line running under a concrete floor, often noticed as a warm spot or a rising water bill. More about slab leak
- Sump pump
- A pump in a basement pit that removes groundwater collected by perimeter drains. More about sump pump
T
- Tankless water heater
- A water heater that heats water on demand instead of storing it. Sizing must account for flow demand and, in mountain states, altitude. More about tankless water heater
- Trenchless sewer lining (CIPP)
- Cured-in-place pipe: a resin-soaked liner cured inside an old pipe to form a new pipe without a full trench. More about trenchless sewer lining (cipp)
W
- Wax ring
- The seal between a toilet and the floor flange. A failed wax ring causes leaks at the toilet base. More about wax ring
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